Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-02-04
about the business" he said to the


ment which had put in the SfdGfs
IcifHHg Tor partner We could
not agree upon terms, and | subse.
quenlIy gave up the business at
that number. went to live at %
Ridge street. 4 short time after.
wards August came to live wl'h
me, the arrangement being that he
was 10 pay me half the rent, which
was $50 per month, and One-third
the household expenses. On the
night of January goth, 1887, after
supper. my son Edward left the
house, leaving Bohlc and myself IN
the rooms. We remained talking
and reading until about 9:3O.-
B0hle was q very powerful man and
was swearing about the hard luck.
He called me a --. told him
| was no ----, and put my hand
up to shove him away. He then
struck me on the neck with his fist |
and knocked me down. | sprang |
to my feet and attempted to strike |
him with a poker which | had in |
my hand. BohIe grabbed the |
poker from my hand, and at the !
same time he seized a knife from
the table and ran after me. | ran
to the bedroom. He followed me.
/ picked up a hammer from a chest
under the bed. He made another
lunge at me with the knife and |
warded 1t off, receiving slight cut
| i'm the hand. | then struck him
with the hammer. He staggered,
and followed him up and struck
him again with the hammer, the
hammer sinking into the skull as
far as the handle. He staggered
and fell back on the sofa dead
This occurred about 10 o'clock i.
VI. Expecting my son home every
moment, and to avoid him seeing
what had happened, | took the
body from the sofa, and put it on
the floor, close by the wall. | then
took Bohle's sleeping cot, land placed
it on ITS side before him and against
the wall, covering the ends with
some clothes. My son soon came
home, and we went to bed together
i'm the bedroom.
"'Where's AugustF he asked.
"'IIe's gone ont said /.
"On Friday, January 81, as soon
as my boy left the house for his
work | went ont to bug a rubber
bag to put the body in. | was I'M
able to get bag and bought two
yards Of rubber cloth at eighty
cents per yard. bought butch
crs saw for ninety cents. | drank
much whiskey, and got back to the
house at 9 \. VI. Ispread the rub
Der cloth on the floor and laid the
body on It. then started to cut
him up. first cut the head from
the body and then laid it aside,
and wrapped it in paper and
part Of his clothing. then cut
both legs of, and, think, the left
arm close to the shoulder. | then
took BOhle's trunk. The trunk
was too short, and | cut of the feet
and put them in the trunk. ! then
put the body on top OF the legs, and,
think, the arm on top OF the body.
/ took part Of the clothes of the de-
ceased and some paper, wiped the
floor with them and then put them
on top OF the body in the trunk.
WHAT HE DID WITH THE HEAD.
81 locked the trunk and dashed
it with rope. then lett my house,
after cleaning up the blood the best
could, locking the door, taking
the head under my arm, which was
then wrapped up IN clothing be
longing to B0hle, and also some
newspapers. ! went to the Grand
street ferry, went in the forward
part Of the ferry boat, leaned over
/ the front railing looking into the
water. and when the boat got mid
way into the river, dropped the
head and clothing into the water.
| assumed that the paddle-wheel
stuck it. | then went to the house
of Henry Siegel, POS ThroOp ave-
nue.. and learning that Siegel was
sick, | told his wife that August
Bohle had gone to Chicago the
night before. / then returned to
my house, arriving there about
three o'clock in the afternoon, and
between five and six o'clock the
same day, and with the assistance
of an Italian whom | met in the
street and gave quarter, | took
the trunk to a saloon IN Grand
street, and asked permission to
leave it over night, which was
granted. | called for it on Satur
day morning about nine o'clock,
brought it out on the sidewalk,
where gave car man thirty cents
to take it to the saloon of Henry
Bense, 40. 39j Kent avenue, Brook
Ign. | got permission from Bense
to leave the trunk there few min
utes until went to Westcott's ex.
press office. told the expressman
where he was to call and returned
to Bense's store. | got some muci'
lace and nut this label on the trunk
John 4. Wilson, Baltimore, Nd.
To be called for After placing
this label on the trunk | left the
store, and | requested Bense to
give the trunk to the expressman
and take his receipt, and that |
would call for it in the evening. |
did call that same evening and re-
ceived the receipt from Bense.
then left and went home. Before
cut the leg off BOhle, | think that
| unbuttOned the pants at the waist
and pulled them down. The coat
| cut up the back and pulled it OIL
before cutting the arm.
The trunk here shown to me by
Inspector Byrnes was the property
of August Bohle, and is the same
that | placed his body in and ship
ped to Baltimore. The clothing
now shown me is also some of his
clothing, which | cut from the body
and put on top of the body in the
trunk with some old papers. also
used these papers and that clothing
in whipping up the blood. The slip
of paper now shown me inscribed,
"John A. Wilson, BALTIC, Md. To
be called for" is the same slip of